Space_Dandy
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
To say this book series is a monumental achievement in science fiction is an understatement. It solidified concepts and generated new ones that would all persist in fiction for generations. Nearly every science fiction story that involves civilizations spanning beyond earth has, rather they realize it or not, borrowed from Asimov's work.
I just started actually getting into it today, after meaning to do so for years. And I am blown away already. I really enjoy his direct, clear, minimalist style. Its refreshing to still be intellectually challenged and stimulated, without needing to overcome as many barriers of vague language. As he describes in his own words; "I have an informal style, which means I tend to use short words and simple sentence structure, to say nothing of occasional colloquialisms. This grates on people who like things that are poetic, weighty, complex, and, above all, obscure. On the other hand, the informal style pleases people who enjoy the sensation of reading an essay without being aware that they are reading and of feeling that ideas are flowing from the writer's brain into their own without mental friction."
I found out Asimov apparently had aphantasia, which means one cannot mentally visualize. This reflects in his writing being fairly sparse with detail and descriptive language, no pages-long purple prose here. Instead his books are very dense with dialogue and exposition. There's very little characterization or character development. This sounds like a cardinal sin to any traditionally trained writer, but Asimov is a master at his craft. His writing manages this simplicity without becoming boring, in the same way a good storyteller will have you gripped without having to describe in vivid detail every little thing. At the end of the day, its the profound insights of his genius mind that keeps the story fascinating. The world he crafts is so fascinating, and the ideas so profound, that you might find yourself eager to plunge deeper into the description of the inner workings of his world and bemoan the little character-driven action as getting in the way of that discovery.
Here's a couple of my favorite parts:
Oh and fuck the Apple TV adaptation. I think they missed his points entirely and took the name of his work in order to advance their on narrative.
I just started actually getting into it today, after meaning to do so for years. And I am blown away already. I really enjoy his direct, clear, minimalist style. Its refreshing to still be intellectually challenged and stimulated, without needing to overcome as many barriers of vague language. As he describes in his own words; "I have an informal style, which means I tend to use short words and simple sentence structure, to say nothing of occasional colloquialisms. This grates on people who like things that are poetic, weighty, complex, and, above all, obscure. On the other hand, the informal style pleases people who enjoy the sensation of reading an essay without being aware that they are reading and of feeling that ideas are flowing from the writer's brain into their own without mental friction."
I found out Asimov apparently had aphantasia, which means one cannot mentally visualize. This reflects in his writing being fairly sparse with detail and descriptive language, no pages-long purple prose here. Instead his books are very dense with dialogue and exposition. There's very little characterization or character development. This sounds like a cardinal sin to any traditionally trained writer, but Asimov is a master at his craft. His writing manages this simplicity without becoming boring, in the same way a good storyteller will have you gripped without having to describe in vivid detail every little thing. At the end of the day, its the profound insights of his genius mind that keeps the story fascinating. The world he crafts is so fascinating, and the ideas so profound, that you might find yourself eager to plunge deeper into the description of the inner workings of his world and bemoan the little character-driven action as getting in the way of that discovery.
Here's a couple of my favorite parts:
Oh and fuck the Apple TV adaptation. I think they missed his points entirely and took the name of his work in order to advance their on narrative.
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